Planning Center vs The Church Co
Planning Center
planningcenter.comThe Church Co
thechurchco.comSide by side
| Figure | Planning Center | The Church Co |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $15/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 11 | 4 |
| Spec score · Church Website Builders | 9.0 (#2) | 7.8 (#16) |
| Company history | Planning Center says it was formed in 2006 by founders Jeff Berg and Aaron Stewart. | The About page says founder Paul Cox identified the need in 2015 and launched the first version a few months later. |
| Founded | 2006 | 2015 |
| Integrations | The integrations directory includes services such as BoxCast, Checkr, Mailchimp, PraiseCharts, SongSelect, Zapier, Clearstream and ProPresenter; most connections are maintained by third parties. | The features page lists Planning Center, Tithely, Church Community Builder, Church Suite, Stripe, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Optimize, Facebook, Intercom and Drift. |
| Intended users | Planning Center describes its products as suitable for churches of any size, including small neighborhood churches and churches with multiple campuses. | The company presents the platform for churches and ministries and says it serves churches of different sizes. |
| Mobile app | The Planning Center mobile app provides dashboards, tasks, push notifications and product access, but dashboard editing requires a web browser. | The company describes a branded church app that syncs content with the church website and offers sermons, events, forms, prayer requests, giving, groups and livestreams. |
| Support | Support is free for customers and noncustomers, with a stated response time of about one business hour Monday through Friday and a weekend crew for emergencies. | The company says its customer success team can help and offers training videos, webinars, articles and blog posts; the site also links to chat support. |
Plans
Planning Center
- CalendarFree
- PeopleFree
- ServicesFree
- Services FreeFree
- Services 20$15 a month
- Services 50$32 a month
- Services 150$69 a month
- Services 400$115 a month
- Services 1000$179 a month
- Services$239 a month
The Church Co
- Simple setupFree
- Essentials setup$299, paid once
- Tailored setup$799, paid once
- Custom setup$999, paid once
In their own words
Planning Center
Planning Center is a church ministry platform with products for people management, events, worship planning, donations, groups, and church apps. People centralizes membership information and ministry activity such as attendance, giving, and volunteering. Services supports worship planning, volunteer scheduling, team communication, and rehearsal tools. Other listed capabilities include group management, event registration, child check-in, and SMS messaging. Free plans are listed for Calendar, People, and Services: Calendar includes one room, People has an unlimited database and reporting, and Services includes five team members and 100 MB of storage. The pricing note lists paid access from $5/mo and a 30-day trial; a member limit of 75 is also listed. Services plans include unlimited feature access, teams, service types, and plans, with pricing based on the number of people accessing the system. The Services app supports iOS and Android phones and tablets, but not Windows devices. Integrations include SongSelect, PraiseCharts, Checkr, Mailchimp, Zapier, and third-party tools; an open API is also available. Planning Center states its products suit churches of any size.
The Church Co
The Church Co is a website builder and digital platform for churches and ministries. Its drag-and-drop builder offers templates and custom pages, while built-in features cover sermons, events, forms, prayer requests, small groups, sermon notes, online giving, livestreams, and a member portal. A branded church app can sync content with the church website and present sermons, events, forms, prayer requests, giving, groups, and livestreams. A custom app requires the On-demand team and is unavailable on the basic or premium plan. Listed integrations include Planning Center, Tithely, Church Community Builder, Church Suite, Stripe, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Optimize, Facebook, Intercom, and Drift. Planning Center can update events, registrations, groups, forms, giving, and sermons on the website automatically; online giving uses Stripe. The service runs on web, Android, and iOS and offers a 14-day trial. Setup options include a free Simple setup with a yearly subscription, plus one-time packages at $299.00, $799.00, and $999.00. The company offers customer success help, training materials, webinars, articles, and chat support.